Of all the different types of cutout cookies, shortbread are my favorite! I like some sugar cookies, but I find a lot of them to be dry and tasteless, or they coat my mouth with some kind of mystery fat.
Shortbread is mostly butter, and therefore, kind of hard to get wrong flavor-wise. I have found though, sometimes they can be a pain to make, because a lot of recipes require that you chill the dough before rolling it out.
My baking wizard friend, Allie from Baking a Moment recently posted some really helpful information about how to make the process of baking cutout cookies much easier. I applied her techniques to my shortbread recipe, and was amazed at how much it was improved. I didn’t have to chill the dough, and it was so easy to work with!
Click HERE if you want to see Allie’s post for yourself!
I learned from Allie that switching from room temperature butter to cold butter allows you to cut out the step of chilling the dough. If you use room temperature butter the dough can melt too much before the cookies set up in the oven, so it will spread out and lose it’s shape. What an easy thing to change!
I also replaced 2 tablespoons of the flour with cornstarch. Cornstarch is like the parole officer of the baking world. When it shows up, everybody behaves! This dough is soft and pliable without being the tiniest bit dry. I love it!
Again, it’s a cutout cookie, so you have unlimited options with what kind of cutter to use, and how to decorate them.
Just beware, whatever sprinkle or sugar you choose will be hiding in the nooks and crannies of your kitchen until NEXT Christmas!
What is it with sprinkles? Why is it impossible to use them and stay neat. I pick up one little teaspoonful, and suddenly it looks like a sprinkle bomb went off in my kitchen! Anybody else have this problem?
If you’ve been following along with the sweetest season cookies this week, you know that we are virtually swimming in amazing cookie recipes! Me and 50 other bloggers have teamed up to keep bring you amazing cookie recipes all week long. You can see the growing list of all things Christmas cookie HERE
Also, if you haven’t entered the giveaway that we put together for you yet, now is the time! You can enter for your chance to win a KitchenAid Mixer + a bunch of other baking goodies by clicking HERE
Happy Baking!
- 1¾ cup all purpose flour + 2 tbl (or 2 cups - 2 tbl)
- 2 tbl cornstarch
- 1 cup unsalted butter (2 sticks), chilled
- ½ cup confectioner's sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- OPTIONAL: Decorating sugar or sprinkles
- Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees.
- Line two jelly roll pans with parchment paper.
- In a small bowl, combine flour and cornstarch.
- In a stand mixer, fitted with a paddle attachment, add cold butter. Mix for about 20 seconds on the lowest speed, and then slowly add sugar. Continue to mix on low for 2 or 3 minutes, or until sugar is fully combined.
- Add vanilla extract and mix for about 30 more seconds until combined.
- Slowly add flour/cornstarch mixture and stop mixing as soon as flour is incorporated. The dough should have formed a rough ball that pulls away from the sides of the bowl.
- Lay out a sheet of parchment paper on the counter and sprinkle just a little bit of flour on it.
- Lay the ball of dough on top of the flour, and sprinkle a little bit more on top of the dough. Lay another sheet of parchment on top, and roll out dough to ⅛" thick.
- Use cookie cutter of your choosing to cut out designs and transfer to cookies sheets. You can lay them as close together as you want, because they don't grow in the oven.
- Bake for 8-10 minutes, or until edges become golden brown.
- Cool for 5 minutes.
- Store in an airtight container for 2-3 days.
I received free product from Imperial Sugar, Dixie Crystals and Bob’s Red Mill as part of The Sweetest Season Cookie Exchange. As always, all opinions and recipes are my own. Thanks for supporting the brands that support Lou Lou Biscuit!
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Thanks for the great recipe. I love these cookies!
Thanks for stopping by! I’m glad you like it 🙂
These cookies look perfect! I’m so glad you found my tips useful. And I love what you said about cornstarch making everyone behave! So, so cute 🙂
Thanks so much for checking them out, Allie! And thanks again for your cookie knowledge! You’re helping us all out this Christmas!
I also LOVE the cornstarch recipe. I am going to try this gluten-free. I know too well that sprinkles can divide & conquer! And how about nonpareils?! They bounce! It’s hard for adults to keep things neat when it comes to sprinkles. Try it with 2 kids! I remember making cutout cookies when Amber & Autumn were 4 & 6. What was I thinking! : )
I bet it was hard with the CCCC girls too! Although, I don’t remember doing much with sprinkles. Perhaps that was intentional on your part? 😉
Let me know how it goes with the GF version!
I think we did sprinkles at CCCC. Remember the 5th C–Cleanup! : ) Those were fun days! And now you’re baking more than I do! Way to go!
wondering about the cold butter as I am hoping to do this with a grade three class without a electric mixer but with lots of Muscles! anyway if keep the butter out so it softens a bit do you think the dough will be the same?